SPECIAL REPORT: Frasier Fire, Eureka (08/16 UPDATE)

Fraiser Fire (UPDATE - 08/09/2012) - North side at the Alpha turn-off

Mike Mears, Fraiser Fire

Scott Raine, Frasier Fire

*** UPDATED (NIFC) 8/16/2012) ***
*** UPDATED (NIFC) 8/14/2012) ***
*** UPDATED (NIFC) 8/12/2012) ***
*** UPDATED 8/9/2012 ***

NIFC UPDATE: Fraiser (Battle Mountain District, Bureau of Land Management): 12,091 acres at 95 percent contained. This fire is 30 miles northeast of Eureka. [Updated 8/16/2012, also see 8/09/2012 Mike Mears update below]

Yubanet (major fire activity map, news)

Morning Miners!

Here is an important update I just received from volunteer fire fighter Mike Mears [SECOND REPORT: Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 9:37 AM]. Here is Mike's latest report:

The NIFC updated the fire size to 11,000 acres this morning after some better GPS mapping. They have set up camp at the JD Rest Area and JD Ranch to provide firefighters with meals, restrooms and sleeping areas. I passed by the JD rest area on my way home from Elko yesterday and it was quickly turning into a mini-city. The attached picture is the fire from the north side at the Alpha turn-off. Major thunderstorm cells had influenced the fire and was pushing it from the west. When I was headed up in the morning, the fire was pushing hard to the northwest and had covered a lot of ground from the night before. I spoke with JJ Goicoechea this morning and he indicated that all county resources had been taken off the fire last night and the BLM was utilizing hand crews to mop up and engine crews to hold the dozer lines established over the last couple of days. Winds and thick, heavy fuels continue to keep this fire very much alive (only 15% contained at this point) and with the prospect of another afternoon of thunderstorms, it could very well continue to be quite a battle on the mountain as well as other parts of Eureka County. There were multiple starts yesterday afternoon all over northern Nevada.


Here is an earlier report [FIRST REPORT: Tue, Aug 7, 2012 at 10:20 AM] from Mike. He, Scott Raine and Ron Damele were on the fire line with the Frasier fire early on; the fire started Sunday evening. Here is Mike's report:

Good morning Colonel. Mother Nature has dealt us another blow with a lightning started fire in the Roberts Mountains. It is being called the Fraiser fire on the NIFC incident report and is currently listed at 3000 acres. Started Sunday evening and despite efforts from Eureka and Diamond Valley, we were unable to access the fire in the dark. BLM assumed control and we left it with them for the evening. Monday morning, the winds picked up and the fire exploded. Ron Damele and the Road Department crews worked well into the night cutting line in the hopes that we might hold it at Vinnini Creek. The EVFD and DVFD volunteers are waiting this morning to see if we are needed, but the fire is still burning at this time. I’ve attached a couple of photos that Scott and I grabbed while on the fire line.

Best of luck and let's hope their efforts help arrest a potentially dangerous development in a very dry year.

Hats off to Mike, Scott, Ron and their crews!

Here is a link to the National Inter-agency Fire Center website:

Fraiser Fire, Eureka, Nevada

Stay safe,

Colonel Possum